Australia today called for the early entry into force of the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and urged those
countries yet to ratify the Treaty to do so as soon as possible.

Speaking in Vienna on my behalf, DFAT Deputy Secretary Miles
Kupa said the CTBT was a milestone in international efforts to
address the global threat posed by nuclear proliferation. He
said it was a key component of efforts to eventually eliminate
nuclear weapons.

Mr Kupa was delivering Australia's national statement to the
"Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," being held in Vienna
from 6-8 October.

Australia played a significant role in the negotiation and
acceptance of the CTBT, most particularly in 1996 when I led
the exercise which took the CTBT from the Conference on Disarmament,
where it had stalled, to the UN General Assembly where it received
overwhelming support from UN members. The Treaty has now been
signed or ratified by 154 states.

The CTBT will ban for all time any further explosive nuclear
tests. The negotiation and entry into force of such a treaty
has been a long-standing Australian foreign policy objective.

Before the CTBT can enter into force, it must be signed by
44 countries named in the Treaty. This list includes the five
Nuclear Weapon States, as well as countries such as India, Pakistan,
Israel and the DPRK. Ratification of the Treaty by the Nuclear
Weapon States is an urgent priority because this will set an
example others, such as India and Pakistan, hopefully will follow.

I welcomed the ratification of the Treaty last year by France
and the United Kingdom. Australia joins the international community
in urging bipartisan support in the United States when the U.S.
Senate votes on ratification on 12 October. Australia also
urges China and Russia to ratify the CTBT as soon as possible.

I am particularly pleased with the progress made in establishing
the International Monitoring system, which will be a key component
of the CTBT's verification machinery.